


Love in the Time of Quarantine

by Persuade_me



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, F/M, Weddings, social distancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23397532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persuade_me/pseuds/Persuade_me
Summary: The irony of it was that she hadn't even wanted this wedding to begin with. And now it wasn't happening.
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 46
Kudos: 207





	Love in the Time of Quarantine

“All gatherings of more than ten people are now prohibited. Residents are advised to shelter in place for at least the next thirty days and only leave the house for essential functions including obtaining food or necessary medical appointments-”

Arya muted the television, cutting off the newsreader in the middle of a sentence, and turned to him, her eyes wide and her heart in her stomach. Gendry’s face was stricken as he met her gaze. They both knew exactly what this meant, and they turned as one to look at the massive white dress hanging next to the black garment bag on the rack in the corner of their living room before their eyes met again. 

“Fuck,” they said simultaneously, and she dropped her head to his chest, his arms automatically pulling her into his embrace. She felt tears in the corner of her eyes, and her throat was tight as the reality of the situation hit her. 

“Fuck,” she whispered. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” 

She felt Gendry kiss the top of her head gently, his hand moving to cradle the back of her neck as he crooned softly to her. “I know, love. I know.” 

She kept her face buried against his chest for several long moments, trying to collect her thoughts as Gendry stroked her hair. They were going to have to cancel it. After almost a year of waiting, of planning, and they were going to have to cancel it. She laughed bitterly to herself, considering the irony of it all was that she hadn’t even wanted this wedding to begin with. Hadn’t wanted the enormous monstrosity of a wedding gown, or the six tiered cake, or the guest list that rivaled that of the latest royal wedding. 

All she had wanted was a simple exchanging of vows, surrounded by their closest friends and family, preferably in the godswood at Winterfell, but really the registrar’s office would have done. In truth, all she really wanted was to call Gendry her husband at the end of the day, the rest was inconsequential. But still, she had wanted their wedding to reflect them. 

But then her mother had gotten involved, and despite her better judgment, she’d allowed her to steamroll over her wishes, planning an  _ event. _ It’d been nice at first, getting the type of phone calls usually reserved for Sansa, invitations for brunch to go over the details, shopping trips to look at dresses and flowers. Her mother had never paid so much attention to her in her life, and she couldn’t help but soak it up.

It’d been small concessions at first. Lillies instead of winter roses. White cake instead of chocolate. Then, it was a snow white ball gown instead of the simple gold knee length dress she’d fallen in love with, and the sept instead of the godswood. And then suddenly, Arya found herself knee deep in miles long guest lists, multiple bridesmaids with no sight of Jon anywhere in her attendants, an updo that made Cersei Lannister’s elaborate styles look simple, and a reception with an eight course meal, seven piece orchestra, and six fucking carved ice direwolves. 

And now, none of it was happening. Because hadn’t you heard? There’s a pandemic going on. So no one’s getting married,

“Fuck!” She bent her neck down, forward, until the top of her head pressed into his chest, and she let out a scream of frustration, hoping to alleviate some of the tension that was currently twisting her guts.

After a long moment, she straightened and looked up at Gendry who was watching her with an odd look of amused sadness. “Feel better?”

She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Not really,” she said. “I’m just-“

But whatever she was just was going to have to wait. Faint music emanated from her pocket, and she reached in to pull out her vibrating phone. 

She let out a deep groan when she saw her mother’s contact photo on the screen, angling the phone so Gendry could see who it was. She really did not want to handle her mother right now, but she sighed and hit the talk button anyway, putting it on speaker so he could hear. She may as well get it over with.

“Arya!” Her mother didn’t even wait for a greeting. “I’ve already called the sept and the hotel. I’ve got a few of the girls from the office on the phone with the florist and the caterers and the orchestra, and I think we can still pull this off. The shelter in place mandate doesn’t really go into effect until Monday, so people would still be able to travel home on Sunday. I had a little pushback from the sept, but considering how much I’ve donated over-”

“What are you talking about?!” She cut into Catelyn’s frenzied ramblings.

“Your wedding, of course.” Her mother’s tone was matter of fact, as if she wasn’t suggesting a gathering of 250+ people in the middle of a global pandemic. “It’s in two days, dear.”

Arya’s eyes shot to Gendry, whose face was looking as appalled as she felt. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Why on earth would I kid about that?” 

Arya snorted in disbelief. “Oh, I don’t know, mum,” she said sarcastically, “maybe because, you know, it’s the apocalypse out there and you’re more concerned with flowers than with the fact that people are dying?”

Catelyn laughed dismissively. “Oh, that,” she said, and Arya could picture her mother waving her hand, brushing aside her concern, like she’d always done. “That’s just the government being overly cautious. There’s really nothing to worry about.”

Arya stared at Gendry, incredulous at what she was hearing. “You cannot be serious, mum,” she said slowly. “We have to cancel.” 

Saying it out loud, her own tearful eyes locked on Gendry’s devastated ones, felt like finality. They would not be getting married. Not this weekend, probably not anytime soon.

Her mother huffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Arya. Of course we don’t have to cancel,” she said confidently. “It will be fine.”

Gendry mouthed  _ “What the fuck?” _ All she could do was throw up her hands in exasperation.

“Don’t be stupid, mum,” she spit out. “You cannot possibly be okay with Bran, your severely immunocompromised son being potentially exposed to this. Not to mention Uncle Jon and your nephew, neither one who are that healthy. Do you really think Aunt Lysa is going to allow her  _ Sweetrobin _ to go anywhere during all this?”

“I- I didn’t-” her mother stammered.

“And imagine the gossip!” She was on a roll now, thoroughly annoyed with her mother’s selfish entitlement. “ _ Lady Catelyn Stark ignores recommendations, puts hundreds at risk.”  _ She paused for a moment to let the idea of a public scandal sink in.

Gendry was smirking, his eyebrows quirked up in amusement.

“Mum, thank you for being so concerned, but it cannot go on,” she said quietly. “Trust me, there’s nothing I’d rather do in two days than marry Gendry.” She reached out to squeeze his hand and smiled up at him when he raised their entwined fingers to his lips. “But it’s not happening.”

Catelyn sighed heavily, her disappointment almost palpable over the phone. “You’re right,” she conceded, and Arya’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment. Her mother rarely admitted when she was wrong. “I don’t know what I was thinking, dear,” she sighed. “I just wanted to fix this for you.”

Arya’s mouth twisted up in a wry smile as she gazed up at her fiancé. “I know, mum, and I appreciate it, but now’s not the time, okay?”

Catelyn sighed heavily again. “Okay,” she said. “We’ll talk about it next week then, I suppose.” 

She hummed in agreement. “That’s fine. Bye, mum.”

She hung up and tossed her phone down on their coffee table, before turning into Gendry’s waiting arms, losing herself in the feel of his embrace. 

“This is bullshit,” she said grumpily, as he sat down, pulling her to settle on his lap. 

“Bullshit,” he agreed, kissing her on the forehead. 

They sat, wrapped in each other, watching the silent newsreaders and stewing in their misery.

“Let’s just go to bed,” she said after a while. “I’m just- Gods, I’m just exhausted now.”

He slid an arm under her legs and stood, cradling her against him. “Come on then,” he said as she snaked her arms around his neck. “I‘ll tuck you in.”

***

When she woke the next morning, her chest felt constricted, tight with worry, and for a moment confusion reigned, and then she remembered. Groaning, she rolled over to bury her face in her pillow, hoping that maybe it was just all a terrible dream. 

“Love?” Gendry’s voice was scratchy in her ear, his arm slung across her back as she felt him scooch in, molding his body to hers. “You okay?”

“No.” Her voice was muffled into her pillow. “I’ve just remembered.” 

He gave a small laugh and shifted his hand to brush the hair from her neck, moving to drape himself across her back and kissing her newly exposed skin. 

“I can take your mind off it,” he said, his lips trailing down her spine as his hands slid underneath her. 

In spite of herself, she laughed. “And how do you intend to do that?” she asked, lifting her hips to give him better access. 

“Like this,” he whispered.

***

Arya spent the day trying to distract herself from the fact that she wasn’t preparing for her wedding rehearsal or packing her bags for a week in Dorne. She sorted through their cabinets and freezer, making lists of what they had and what they needed. Gendry ran out to the store, looking almost traumatized when he returned. They both contacted their jobs, working out what they needed to do to work from home for the foreseeable future. She knew she should probably make some kind of post explaining that the wedding was going to be postponed, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She’d let her mother worry about all of that. 

***

“You know what’s the worst thing about all this?” she said quietly as they lay wrapped together in bed that night.   


He tightened his grip around her waist and nuzzled against her ear. “What?” 

“I didn’t even want this stupid wedding in the first place. I just wanted to get married, you know? I don’t care about colors or whether the place settings have the right kind of forks for the seafood or if people are going to talk because we used the wrong song for our first dance.”

Gendry didn’t say anything, just kissed her on the side of her head and hummed. 

“But I just let her take over everything, because it made her happy.” She sighed heavily and rolled over to face him. “Tell me truly, Gendry. Is this how you envisioned our wedding?”

He gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment, then shook his head. “No,” he admitted. “It’s not.”

She sat up, crossing her legs and turning to face him. “How did we let it get to this? Ice sculptures? That’s not us at all, is it?”

He pulled himself up and took her hand, letting out a short bitter laugh. “Fucking ice sculptures. We should have stopped it before it got to the fucking ice sculptures.”

Arya ran her fingers through her hair, gripping it tightly for a moment before dropping her hand to the bed in resignation. “Gods, we’re stupid, aren’t we?”

“Look at the bright side,” he said, pulling her forward to straddle his lap and kissing her. “We’ve got some time to figure this out now. We can talk to your mum about making some changes, maybe scaling back a bit.” 

“Yeah, you’re right,” she said smiling into his lips, and pressing her forehead against his. “We’ll make it about  _ us.” _

“One thing I really am disappointed about, though,” he said, moving his hands to her hips and pulling her closer, “is missing that trip to Dorne. I was really looking forward to that topless beach.”

She laughed and reached down to tug her shirt over her head. “You know you can see them any time you want, right?”

His eyes went dark, and his hands came up to cup her breasts. “I know, but there was something about seeing them out in public, in the sunlight that really just-” He closed his eyes and gave a small, wistful sigh. “It just really appealed to me, all right?”

Smirking, she pushed him back to the bed and pressed herself against his bare chest. “Show me,” she said. 

***

The day of her canceled wedding was gorgeous, sun shining, birds chirping. A day that would have ordinarily had Arya chomping at the bit to get outside and just enjoy it, but it felt almost cruel, like the gods were punishing her somehow with such a perfect day.

She was out on their balcony, chatting with Hot Pie on his own balcony next door. When they had first started talking about moving in together, he had mentioned that his neighbor was moving out, and they’d jumped on it. They’d been worried at first, that it would be awkward or that Hot Pie might hear them having sex, but thankfully, the walls in their complex were thick, and they all managed to co-exist quite peacefully.

“Man, that really sucks, Arry,” Hot Pie said, peering at her curiously. “You want some bread to cheer you up? I’ve made about five loaves this morning.”

Arya laughed. Trust Hot Pie to try to fix the situation with food. “Sure,” she said. “Why not?” And he disappeared inside. While she waited, she sat gazing out at the small grass courtyard in the center of their complex. There was a woman walking her dog, but other than that, it was empty. It was odd to see a space usually full of people so bare and quiet. She supposed she’d have to get used to it, this new normal.

Behind her, the door clicked open and Gendry appeared, holding out her phone. “You just got about thirty text messages from your mum in the last five minutes,” he said, and she groaned. Scrolling through her mother’s ramblings about caterers and flowers, she stopped dead when she saw what she had to say about the sept.

**Mum: Bad news about the sept, though. Their next available date is almost a year away. But they promised to put me on a list and let me know the minutes something else comes open.**

“Fucking hells,” she said, holding it up for Gendry to read. “I just- I can’t wait that long, Gendry.”

He stared down at her screen for a long moment, his jaw clenched. Then, his expression shifted and he looked back up at her, determination in his eyes. “We’re not waiting that long, Arya,” he said, and he turned on his heel, leaving her alone on the balcony. 

“Waiting that long for what?” Hot Pie’s voice cut through her confusion, and she turned to see him gazing at her, a basket in his arms. 

***

It took them a few minutes to figure out how to get the bread across the six foot gap between their balconies. In the end, Hot Pie tossed her the end of a long piece of ribbon and slid the basket over to her. In addition to two loaves of bread, he’d also included several small tarts, a dozen cookies, and four flaky croissants, still warm from the oven. 

“How much have you been baking in there?” she asked, staring down at the mass of food. 

“I’m bored,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Culinary school can’t meet online, and I don’t know what else to do with all my time.” He sighed. “Wish I hadn’t quit at the bakery to focus on school now.”

Arya grabbed one of the croissants and bit into it, groaning at the taste. “Well,” she said after swallowing, “bake all you want, and we’ll take whatever you want to get rid of.”

The door opened again, and Gendry emerged. “You wanna get married?” he asked without preamble.

“What?” 

“You wanna get married?” he repeated. “I just got off the phone with Davos, and he’s still ordained from when he did Shireen’s wedding. He’s willing to come stand outside in the courtyard and yell up at us or stand six feet away or whatever we want.”

She blinked at him. “What?” she repeated stupidly.

“I called Jon too, and he said just say the word, and he’ll be here in an hour,” he said. “We already have our marriage license. We just need someone to officiate and two witnesses. So tell me, Arya, you wanna get married today?”

Warmth spread through her as she gazed up at him, a kind of joyful disbelief erupting in her chest. “Fuck, yeah, I wanna get married today!” She turned to Hot Pie, who was standing there, looking between them in amusement. “You want to be a witness?”

Hot Pie blinked at her, then a grin spread across his face and he nodded vigorously before turning his attention to Gendry. “How long do I have?” he asked. “I got a chocolate cake cooling on the counter right now, but if you give me an hour, I can make it your wedding cake.”

“I told Davos four,” he said. “So that gives you at least two.” 

“So sure I’d say yes, were you?” Arya asked teasingly. 

He stepped closer and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Yes,” he said simply. 

Love for him flooded through her, and she pulled his face down to hers. “Call Jon back,” she said decisively. “Let’s get married today.”

***

She stood in front of the mirror, smiling softly at her reflection. She’d bought the knee length dress at a small boutique in the Riverlands, falling in love with the embroidered golden fabric instantly, thrilled to have found something with such little trouble for their wedding. But then her mother had gotten involved and her lovely gown of golden leaves was relegated to her rehearsal dinner, replaced by a silk ballgown that was probably as wide as she was tall. It was a beautiful gown, she had to admit, but it wasn’t her. None of it was. 

But this. This was her. She’d pulled her own hair up into a simple knot. She’d done her own makeup, only slightly more carefully than usual. She looked like herself. She felt like herself. A momentary pang of guilt hit her for how she knew her mother would react, but she brushed it aside, focusing on the fact that soon she’d be married to her best friend and that nothing else mattered. 

“Wow.” 

She looked up to see Gendry in the doorway. “You look amazing,” he said, eyes wide and full of a tenderness that almost brought her to tears. 

He was wearing one of the two suits he owned, a deep blue one that matched his eyes and never failed to bring a rush of heat to her when she saw him in it. “Thanks,” she said, crossing the room to kiss him deeply. “So do you.”

“You ready to get married?” he asked, smiling down at her. “Jon, Davos, and Hot Pie are all down in the courtyard waiting for us. Six feet apart, of course,” he added.

“It goes without saying,” she said laughing, grabbing his hand and pulling him through their flat to the door. “Let’s get married.”

***

“Hey, mum,” she said, when her mother answered. “Is dad there?” 

Ned’s deep voice came rumbling over the line, and she almost cried at the sound. “Hello, sweetling,” he said. “How are you holding up?”

“Uh, I need you to do something for me, daddy,” she said tentatively. “Please don’t be mad at me, okay?”

“Arya, I could never be mad at you,” he said soothingly. “Anything you need, all right? What is it?”

She tapped the FaceTime button on the phone and waited for her father to accept. When his face appeared, her mother’s beside him, she smiled. “Give me away?” she said, turning the phone so they could see Gendry, Davos, and Jon waiting expectantly. 

“Arya Stark!” her mother’s startled exclamation was drowned out by her father’s laughter. 

She swung the phone back around to her and smiled apologetically. “Mum, I know this isn’t what you wanted for me, but this is what I want. I never wanted my wedding to be a...a spectacle, but that’s what it turned into. And I can’t wait another year until the sept is available, and really, I never wanted to get married in the sept in the first place because that’s just not me. It’s not us. So please don’t be mad, but Gendry and I are getting married here, right now.”

Her mother’s face had softened into a wistful expression as she talked. “Arya, dear, why didn’t you say anything?”

She bit her lip. “I didn’t know how, mum. You were so enthusiastic about it all, and I just wanted to marry Gendry, so I thought it didn’t matter,” she said quietly. “But it does matter, because this day, this commitment should be about us, no one else.” 

Catelyn smiled at her through watery eyes. “I’m sorry, sweetling,” she said. “I really did just take over everything, didn’t I?”

“A little bit, yeah.”

Ned laughed again. “Your sister is going to kill you, you know.” 

Arya grinned and shook her head, turning the phone to where Hot Pie stood holding up her tablet. “We’re going to live stream it. I’ve already texted everyone else that matters, so we’re just waiting on you.” She bit her lip again. “So, how about it, dad. Will you give me away?”

He smiled and nodded. “Anything for you, Arya.” 

***

It wasn’t perfect, a wedding with all of the participants six feet apart save for the bride and groom. Gendry had to run back into their flat for the rings. Hot Pie dropped her tablet twice, and Davos belatedly realized he couldn’t actually bind their hands from where he was standing, but then Gendry had pulled off his tie and together, they managed to wrap it around their entwined fingers as they recited their vows. 

The number of cheers from the surrounding buildings when they kissed startled them both, as neither of them had realized how many observers there were to their nuptials, too caught up in each other to notice the numerous people on balconies and hanging out windows to watch. 

They set the marriage license on a bench and stepped back as Jon, Hot Pie, and Davos all signed, with their own pens of course. And then it was done. They were married. Husband and wife. Mr. and Mrs. ‘Til death do them part. 

***

“Tell me,  _ wife _ ,” Gendry said, sprawled out on the couch next to her, an empty plate covered in chocolate cake crumbs on his stomach. “Was it everything you ever wanted?”

Arya swung her head over to gaze at him and grinned. “It was a disaster. From start to… well, almost finish, this entire ‘getting married’ process has just been one miserable affair, you know? None of it worked out the way I wanted,” she said, reaching out to move the plate before crawling on top of him and kissing him deeply. “But it was perfect,” she said firmly. “You and me. Together forever. You’re mine and I’m yours.”

Gendry lifted his hand to brush her cheek, and the look on his face brought a lump to her throat as emotions rushed through her. “You and me,” he said softly, then his lips quirked into a wicked grin and she felt that familiar heat ignite. “You know,  _ wife _ , we’re pretty much stuck with each other for the next month,” he teased. “What on earth are we going to do to pass the time?”

She laughed, then slid her hands down. “Well,  _ husband,  _ I have a few ideas.”


End file.
